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Henderson County, Texas severe weather history spans 514 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 40.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #825 nationally and #76 in Texas.
514
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$19.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Henderson County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Henderson County, Texas severe weather history averages 6.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 150 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 84 events fall before 1990 and 430 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $9.6M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Henderson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 208 | 0 | $423K | 4 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 207 | 0 | $9.6M | 80 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 48 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 38 | 0 | $7.7M | F3 | 1952–2024 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2007–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Henderson County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-29 | EF4 | 2 | 25 | 21.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-02-23 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-11-04 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 25.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-11-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 11.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-01-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-10-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Henderson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2024 | Tornado | FINCASTLE | 0 | 6 | $300K |
| Apr 29, 2017 | Tornado | STOCKARD | 0 | 5 | $300K |
| Apr 29, 2017 | Tornado | PAYNE SPRINGS | 0 | 5 | $500K |
| Mar 2, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | EUSTACE | 0 | 5 | $200K |
| May 2, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jun 5, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | ATHENS | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Nov 4, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Nov 19, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado first touched down around 5:35 PM south of Malakoff, hitting a private family property and wedding venue just west of CR 3441. The tornado continued to move northeast and damaged another family home on CR 1208. The tornado made a continuous path northeast, marked by damage to trees and outbuildings. The tornado moved through Athens, damaging additional structures and uprooting/snapping trees. A Dollar General had its windows blown out. The tornado moved over the Athens Steel Building Corporation, causing the most significant damage of the tornado track. Damage included collapse of the southern portion of the structure. The tornado exited the city and dissipated after damaging structures and trees in the Trey Meadows neighborhood, southwest of Murchison around 5:58 PM. Maximum estimated winds were 115 mph.
At least two dozen houses were damaged in Poynor Friday night as a tornado ripped through the community. Dozens of sheds, barns, and storage units were demolished. Significant damage to roofs and garages occurred at residences, while dozens of fences and trees were blown down. At least one home was considered a total loss. A metal support beam from a destroyed storage unit was driven through a truck, and the truck was then rolled onto its side by the strong winds. Numerous other vehicles were rolled and damaged by debris. In addition, houses which had portions of their roofs removed sustained heavy water damage from the rainfall following the tornado.
About 15 to 20 roads were flooded. A 15' by 20' sinkhole developed, and a bridge was washed out on Cedar Oaks Drive in Payne Springs stranding about 30 households. FM 2636 in Malakoff, Bunny Rabbit Road in Athens, and FM 773 north of Murchison were closed due to high water. A bridge was washed out on CR 2803.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
84,862
Population (ACS)
$211K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 21, 2023 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Feb 19, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 14, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Henderson County, Texas?
514 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $19.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Henderson County?
Hail, with 208 recorded events — 40.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Henderson County?
39 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Henderson County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Henderson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Henderson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henderson County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Henderson County, Texas severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Hemphill County 406
- Hidalgo County 574
- Hays County 449
- Hill County 596
- Haskell County 574
- Hockley County 640
Cite this page
“Henderson County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/henderson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.